Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – The results of the presidential, parliamentary, and local elections in Sudan are being published gradually. Incumbent President Omar El Beshir is ahead and is confident his re-election (as planned before the vote, as several presidential candidates have withdrawn), while the various parties continue to accuse each other of fraud. The final results, which were to be released today, April 22, will be published this weekend, as stated by the Electoral Commission, which has said that the delay was due to technical problems.
In Sudan's complex political and institutional situation, in the north the allegations of fraud are against the party of the President, the National Congress Party, while in the south, the accusations are against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a former guerrilla movement which after the Inclusive Peace Agreement (CPA) has controlled the government in the semi-autonomous region.
The National Congress Party has responded to the complaints of fraud, accusing opposition leaders of trying to go abroad and start a campaign to discredit the image of the elections. The Khartoum authorities have also announced that the opposition will not tolerate street demonstrations to protest against fraud, "as was done in Nairobi and Tehran."
The opposition parties in southern Sudan have reported serious fraud committed by the south Sudanese soldiers, mostly former members of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the SPLM.
In 2011, there will be a referendum on southern Sudan. Most international observers agree that the South will become an independent state. The evolution of voting seems to show that Sudan is already divided into two separate states: the northern one dominated National Congress Party and President Beshir, and the southern one led by the SPLM. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 22/4/2010)
